A recent reports from the UN points out that anime and manga reinforce gender stereotypes and even promote violence against women and children.
This obviously has not gone down well in Japan, and figures like the politician Taro Yamada They have already jumped to question these accusations. Yamada even said that the UN made the report without speaking to anyone in the industry from anime or manga.
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The words of Japan
Taro Yamada was clear in his position: if the UN really wants Japan to “overhaul” its industry, Where is the evidence that anime and manga pose a risk to women and children? This lack of dialogue has been fatal in Japan, especially when It has been eight years since the UN issued another warning similar. At that time, the issue was that anime and video games promoted sexual violence against women.
Now, the focus is also expanding to gender stereotypes, and although the UN is not imposing any sanctions, it is asking Japan to take action on the matter.
Is the UN right? Fans defend the anime industry
It’s easy to see why this has upset fans. As in any industry, there are things that could be improvedbut to say that anime and manga are like that in general is a bit of a stretch. If we take a look, there are thousands of female characters who are strong and inspiring.
The same could be said about cinema, since Hollywood still uses gratuitous nudityand no one seems to question that. If we are going to criticize, it seems fair to point out the entire audiovisual industry, not just anime and manga.
Furthermore, it is a fact that this Criticism remains only superficial. Female characters in anime have stories as varied and complex as in any other medium, and we all know perfectly well that there are a lot of characters that have inspired and marked generations, which is not going to make us overlook the positive aspects of manga. and anime.
All this commotion makes one thing clear, that both anime and manga have been, and continue to be, a space where there are many representations of different characters. Of course there is room for improvementbut launching such a general criticism does not help, especially when it leaves out so many nuances.
This debate will surely continue, and perhaps even let’s see other reports in the futurebut one thing is for sure, the anime industry as we know it will continue as long as the public continues to support it.
